They say there is no love greater than that of a mother for her children; an infinite, limitless love that runs so deep that it hurts. And there is nothing a mother wouldn’t do to protect her children, even if it means giving them up for adoption to secure a better future for them. If the accident of birth seals a child’s fate, the business of adoption changes the course of its destiny.

And this leads to the question of how much is a child’s identity the product of genetics and how much of it is influenced by the environment in which it is brought up? A bit of both?

In her latest book, Run, award-winning author Ann Patchett delves into the delicate and complex world of family relations with an elegant, subtle and warm prose that makes you want to hug your parents and siblings and tell them how much you love them. Ms Patchett, of Bel Canto fame, engages the reader with her lyrical, graceful turn of phrase, as gentle as a mother’s caress. The book covers 24 fateful hours in the life of the Doyle family.

Former Boston mayor Bernard Doyle dreams that at least one of his adopted sons, college students Tip and Teddy, will one day follow him into politics so he drags them to political meetings at every opportunity. Tip however has a passion for ichthyology (the study of fish) while his younger brother Teddy would sooner follow in the saintly footsteps of his uncle Father Sullivan. That fateful evening, as a snowstorm lashes over the town, Tip and Teddy obediently meet their father to listen to a Jesse Jackson speech. Unknown to them another close relative, whom they have never met, is also attending the meeting and keeping a lovingly watchful eye over “her boys”, just as she has done since the day they were born.As the Doyles are leaving the building, Tip carelessly steps out onto the road without looking and would have been fatally hit by an oncoming car where it not for the timely intervention of that unknown relative.

A simple, heroic gesture that saves his life but marks a turning point for the entire family, including people he and his brother Teddy never knew existed. Tip’s saviour turns out to be his and Teddy’s biological mother, Tennessee Moser, and as she languishes in hospital awaiting treatment after the accident, her 11-year old daughter Kenya reveals how she and her mother had been secretly stalking the Doyles for years. Tennessee may have relinquished her sons to another family but she wanted to ensure that they were safe and happy, just like any mother would. Tip and Teddy always knew they had been adopted but had never considered looking for their biological mother.

Now that she has come crashing back into their life, along with, allegedly, a half-sister, they are unsure of how to react for fear of upsetting their loyalties. Could this woman really be their mother and why has she chosen to re-enter their lives now? What does she want from them and why did she give up her boys for adoption but kept the girl, Kenya? What other family secrets remain to be revealed? The delicate family structure is about to come crashing down like a pack of cards and overlooking it all is a family heirloom, a statue of the Virgin Mary, the Holy Mother, a potent symbol of undying parental love and the last tribute to Tip and Teddy’s dead adoptive mother.

Ms Patchett’s book is a joy to read. It is a story of hope, parenthood, belonging and identity, with an unexpected twist right in the middle of the book that makes the story even more poignant. It leaves you with a warm, fuzzy feeling, like a miracle at Christmas; for you will want to believe that miracles do happen.